


things i almost remember

by SydneyHorses



Series: Happily Ever After [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Inspired by Barbie in The Nutcracker (2001), M/M, fairytale AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25226533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SydneyHorses/pseuds/SydneyHorses
Summary: What Felix first thinks is merely a somewhat lackluster, mysterious Christmas gift has much more to it than meets the eye. Soon, he is transported to the Magical Kingdom of Fodlan, tasked with defeating an evil queen and destroying the curse on a certain Prince that he is desperately trying not to care about.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Series: Happily Ever After [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827616
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58





	things i almost remember

**Author's Note:**

> hi there! this is going to be the first fic in a collection i'm doing! each one will be a retelling of a different fairytale, and will focus on a different ship. i don't have a set schedule in mind for these - they're just a fun project i'm doing in between other things. keep an eye on the series and my twitter for new entries!
> 
> thanks mars for editing and catching my very big very stupid mistake kdfjl; everyone make sure to thank your beta readers
> 
> enjoy :)

Felix has never held much love for the holidays. He’s been forced home for Christmas, much to his chagrin. He’s barely been home for twenty-four hours, and already his father has insisted on him wearing an overly formal suit. The collar of his shirt is too tight, and it’s atrocious that he’s expected to remain like this the whole day. He can barely breathe under all the layers of formality, and so he settles for sitting on the couch, arms crossed and a scowl fixed upon his face.

Glenn isn’t much better off, although he at least has the social graces to help their father with preparations for Christmas Eve dinner. Felix had decided early on that he wasn’t going to be helpful at all, and so he’s in the living room, staring determinedly at the Christmas tree and refusing to move.

He’s been like this most of the evening, and would have stayed there if not for the arrival of another person in the house. The knock at the door is loud and jarring, and Felix recognizes the booming voice from outside as his Uncle Lonato.

“Felix,” his father says, coming into the room. “Your Uncle is here. Come join us. It’s only polite.”

Felix doesn’t want to be polite. He wants to go back to his own apartment and celebrate the holidays on his own. “Fine,” he snaps, standing and stiffly walking over to the dining room.

Lonato is there with Glenn already, conversing quietly. The two stop when Felix arrives, a broad grin spreading across Lonato’s face. “Felix! You’ve gotten taller!” Felix has absolutely not gotten taller, but he appreciates the lie nonetheless. “Hello, Uncle.”

Lonato pulls out two carefully wrapped packages, handing the smaller of the two to Glenn and a larger, rectangular one to Felix. “I know Christmas isn’t until tomorrow,” he says, “but I’m an old man, and you boys bring me a great deal of happiness. Indulge me?”

“I’m twenty-two, Uncle,” Felix says stiffly, even as he pulls the wrapping paper eagerly off the present. “You don’t have to treat me like a child.”

“Ah, youth,” Lonato says fondly. “The two of you will always be boys in my eyes and your father’s. Such is the way of the old.”

Felix rolls his eyes, but unwraps his present all the way regardless. There’s a small, rectangular shoebox underneath, and he pulls off the lid to reveal a wooden figure within. He lets the box fall to the ground, picking up the toy and turning it carefully over in his hands. “A nutcracker,” he says out loud, looking up at his uncle. “Right?” It’s finely made, with pale blonde hair sculpted into the wood and fine blue livery. There’s a cloak wrapped around its neck, and the fur at the top feels real. It’s a toy for a child, not for an adult who lives on his own, but Felix has never quite been able to be as sharp-tongued around his uncle as he would life. “Thank you,” Felix says hesitantly, looking up at Lonato.

Next to him, Glenn finishes unwrapping his present, a novel that Lonato claims is ‘all the rage’ amongst adults such as himself. He thanks their uncle politely, although Felix can tell by the jut of his lip that he’s annoyed about not getting a more exciting present. Neither of the Fraldarius brothers are big readers, although Felix knows Glenn still enjoys the occasional adventuring story from time to time. Felix stands a little straighter and clutches the nutcracker to his chest. Even if it is a toy for a kid, at least he didn’t get a book. Glenn always gets the first pick of everything, but he’s an apprentice now, which means visiting relatives aren’t obliged to bring him anything.

“When is he going to realize we’re not children anymore?” Glenn rolls his eyes, setting his book down on the table once the two older men leave.

Felix sighs, looking down at the nutcracker. “I have no idea. What am I supposed to do with this?”

Glenn shrugs. “I don’t know. Go find a walnut. Maybe sell it at a pawn shop? Although I don’t know if they’ll want one that looks broken.”

Felix looks down at the nutcracker in his arms. “He’s not broken,” he protests, running a careful finger over the eyepatch on his face. There’s a deep gouge in the nutcracker’s face that disappears underneath the cloth eyepatch.

Glenn laughs and ruffles Felix’s hair. “Fine, fine. I won’t insult your precious nutcracker. Wouldn’t want you to go all crybaby on me over it.”

Felix scowls. “I am _not_ a crybaby.” He hasn’t cried in front of Glenn in years, but he still gets teased mercilessly for his childhood habits. It’s ridiculous.

They muddle their way through dinner, after which Lonato and Rodrigue retire to the other room to talk business or politics or whatever it is Felix’s father does with his friends. Normally, this is when Felix and Glenn would get to leave the painful awkwardness of the Fraldarius house behind, but it’s Christmas Eve, and they’re both staying the night. He wishes he was at home, recounting the events to his roommate, Ashe. Instead, he’s stuck here, being treated like a kid and not the adult he’s been for years.

He sits down on the couch, bringing the nutcracker with him. He’s still unsure of what to do with it, but he doesn’t want to upset his uncle by leaving it laying around. Instead, he watches the fireplace as it burns lower and lower and stubbornly avoiding conversation with the others.

And so Felix stays, in front of the fire and staring determinedly into it. The fire crackles softly, and despite himself, he finds his eyes slipping closed. When he finally does doze off, it’s sitting upright with a scowl firmly fixed to his face.

Hours later, Felix wakes to a loud shout. He sits up with a start, looking around frantically for the noise. In the dark, the house is unfamiliar. The windows seem taller than normal, and the darkness seems more overwhelming than usual. The light of the full moon shines through the sitting room, hitting the ornaments on the Christmas tree and reflecting off of them. Why did no one wake him up? He stands, his gaze roving the room. “Hello?” Normally, he keeps a dagger at his belt, but his father had made him leave it in his room for the Christmas Eve festivities. Preposterous.

“Kill every last one of them!” The cry comes from seemingly right behind Felix, and he whirls around, ready to throw a punch or leave, whichever feels more right in the moment.

There’s no one behind him, and he frowns. “I heard you. You won’t stay hidden for long.”

Something glints in the moonlight, just around the corner, and Felix pads forward on uncertain, cautious feet. A furious squeak sounds, and he rounds the corner, so quiet that he may as well be holding his breath.

Whatever he was expecting - an intruder, Glenn up to no good - it certainly wasn’t this. The nutcracker, his nutcracker, has come to life, brandishing the lance he’d once held so firmly in his hand at a mouse with a small crown on its head. It’s squeaking angrily, and Felix realizes that the voice he heard was the nutcracker, not some terrifying stranger.

What on earth is happening?

He stops, just as the nutcracker turns to look at him. There’s shock written all over his small, once wooden face, and Felix fights the urge to pick him up and hold him close like he had earlier. The crowned mouse squeaks again, then points a paw at Felix. It squeaks something he has no hope of understanding, and then the world spins around him as he tumbles to the ground.

When Felix comes to, he’s sitting on the floor, just like before. However, the house has grown around him, the walls looming up high over his head and the bookshelves impossibly tall. He pushes himself to his feet, eyes wide. There’s another squeak and then a shout, and the nutcracker stabs wildly at the mouse with his lance. It turns and runs off, leaving Felix alone with the nutcracker.

It’s only when the nutcracker - _his_ nutcracker - comes up to him that Felix realizes his earlier assessment was wrong. The house hasn’t grown; he’s shrunk. 

“Are you quite alright?” The nutcracker walks up to Felix, awkwardly extending a hand.

Felix takes a cautious step back, a frown fixed firmly to his face. “You’re my nutcracker.”

“Ah,” the nutcracker looks down at the lance in his hands. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

“You’re alive.” Felix doesn’t step back again, but he doesn’t move closer either.

“Of a sorts,” the nutcracker replies. “I am sorry that I woke you. I was merely trying to defeat that wretched beast.”

“Who cares that you woke me?” Felix snaps, drawing himself up to his full height. He doesn’t feel very imposing, next to his apparently battle-ready nutcracker. “Why am I your size? Why are you alive?”

“I’ve been alive this whole time,” he says stiffly. “It’s a curse, one that I have had to live with for some time.”

Felix looks around the quiet house, searching for the answers that continue to evade him. “How do we fix it?”

“That’s very kind,” the nutcracker says, “but I’m afraid that’s not your prerogative.”

“Fine,” Felix says, his lip curling in distaste. “Then how do we fix _me?_ I’m certainly not going to stay like this forever.”

“Ah,” the nutcracker says. “I suppose that’s not ideal, no.”

“The only way to undo your curse is to find the Sugar Plum Prince,” the voice is sudden, and sounds bored and superior.

Felix jumps, whirling around. “Who’s there?”

The voice laughs. “You’re awfully funny. Do you get this angry about everything?”

“I’m not angry!” Felix snaps, crossing his arms and looking off to the side.

Another peal of laughter, and a soft chuckle from the nutcracker at his side. Felix scowls. “You certainly seem angry. It’s rather amusing. I don’t get to be amused nearly often enough.”

“Show yourself!” Felix calls.

“I’m not _hiding_ ,” the voice is haughty, imperious. “Just look up.”

Felix and the nutcracker both jerk their heads up, only to see a young girl sitting on the hour hand of the grandfather clock.

“You’re in my clock,” Felix says, stupidly.

“No I’m not, idiot,” the girl says archly. “It’s my clock.”

“It’s in my house,” Felix retorts.

“So?” she snaps, tossing one of her multicolored braids over a shoulder. “I’ve lived longer than you could ever imagine, and I’ll still be alive when you’re no longer even dust.”

“But it’s in my house,” Felix says again. “So it’s my clock.”

“Let’s not get into semantics,” the nutcracker says, stepping forward. “It’s your clock, but it’s in his house. You both have some claim to it, but I do think that is quite beside the point right now, yes?”

“Hmph,” the girl says. “I suppose.”

“Fine,” Felix snaps, although he really would prefer to continue being contrary.

“Thank you,” the nutcracker says. He smiles rather brilliantly, and Felix steadfastly ignores the way the moonlight catches his pale blond hair. “Now, what were you saying about the Sugar Plum Prince?”

The girl examines her nails. “The only way to break your curse and return the angry one to his normal size is to find the Sugar Plum Prince.” She sighs, then waves her hand. “There. If you head through that mouse hole, you’ll be in Fódlan.” She yawns. “Oh, that was so very much. There was...something else I meant to tell you, but I find I’ve quite forgotten...” She yawns again, then lays down on the hour hand, one of her legs hanging off of it and swinging idly back and forth.

“Well then,” the nutcracker says.

“Wait!” Felix calls sharply. “What were you going to tell us?”

The girl doesn’t respond, and a soft snore rises from the clock instead. Felix frowns. “Great. Just great.”

“I apologize,” the nutcracker says. “I know this is quite inconvenient.”

“Yes,” Felix agrees. “It really, really is.”

“Then in that case,” the nutcracker bows deeply, his blonde hair falling into his eye as he does so. “I promise to do whatever it is in my power to help you find the Sugar Plum Prince and get back to your proper life.”

Felix’s fingers itch to fix the nutcracker’s hair, to brush it out of his face or to offer to tie it back for him. It’s an inane desire, and he squashes it just as soon as it flares up. He lifts his chin, avoiding the earnestness in his nutcracker’s eyes. “You don’t even know my name. Why do you want to help me?”

“My apologies. You may call me Dimitri. And you are?” He’s still bowing, as though he’s waiting for Felix to agree to his proposal before standing. Ridiculous.

“Felix,” he says after a moment’s pause. “I’m Felix.”

Dimitri stands to his full height. Even with the house and Christmas tree impossibly tall above them, he’s still easily taller than Felix, just as Glenn is. It’s irritating, and Felix finds his already severe frown deepening at the height difference. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Felix.”

“Whatever,” Felix replies, looking away from the horrible earnestness in Dimitri’s gaze. “We should get going.”

“Ah, yes. Through the mouse hole.” Dimitri turns on his heel and sets off at a brisk pace, towards the small hole in the baseboard that the girl on the clock had indicated.

Felix sighs and trudges reluctantly after him, stopping at Dimitri’s side. “Well? What are you waiting for?”

There’s a far-away expression on Dimitri’s face, but he seems to snap out of it when Felix speaks. “Nothing,” he replies, and then steps forward, through the portal.

After a moment’s hesitation, Felix follows. He steps into the mouse hole, and instead of a dark tunnel waiting on the other side, he’s transported into a snowy, frozen cave.

It’s crystalline and blue, and the chill in the air seeps through his clothes in seconds. Felix is used to the cold, but he’s certainly not dressed for it. Dimitri stands a few feet in front of him, looking as though he were made for the cold. His clothes are far heavier than Felix’s, and his blue soldier’s uniform looks like it’s made of wool or something else warm.

“Oh, good,” he says. “You made it through safely.”

Felix scowls and wraps his arms around himself in a pathetic attempt to shelter from the cold. “Of course I did.”

Dimitri looks over at him, a small frown on his face. “Are you quite alright, Felix?”

“I didn’t get dressed this morning thinking that I would be outside,” Felix snaps.

“Oh. I see.” Dimitri unclasps the heavy blue and black cloak from around his shoulders, then steps closer and gently settles it around Felix.

It’s much too big for him, and is still warm from Dimitri’s body heat. As much as Felix would like to protest - the hem is dragging on the ground, he won’t have room to fight if something happens - his body relaxes immediately, the warmth settling around his shoulders like an embrace.

When he looks back up at Dimitri, there’s a faint blush on his cheeks, and the nutcracker is smiling down at him, looking unguarded for the first time since he’s become animated. “That wasn’t necessary,” Felix says stiffly.

“You were cold,” Dimitri says. “I would not be abiding by my promise to help you find the Sugar Plum Prince and return home safely if I let you freeze to death.”

A gust of wind sweeps through the cave, and despite himself, Felix pulls the cloak tighter around his body. It’s warm, and he’s grateful for it even while he’s scowling at Dimitri.

The nutcracker takes no offence to it though, and smiles, looking so at peace that Felix can’t bring himself to look at him directly. “Let’s just get out of here,” he mutters.

It’s slow going as they extricate themselves from the cave, but eventually they come to the mouth of it. It’s set into a large stone ledge in a craggy mountain, and the path down looks treacherous, even from here. Still, there are lights twinkling at the base of the summit, and civilization hopefully goes hand in hand with more answers.

-

They pick their way down the mountain slowly, Dimitri’s cape dragging in the snow. It’s a nuisance, as big as it is, but Felix has no desire to give it up. He’d be half frozen without it, and it’s given him some measure of comfort, to know that if Dimitri were to decide to abandon him, he would leave behind his cloak. It’s also, of course, unspeakably warm.

Felix is preoccupied with keeping the cloak from snagging in plants, and once they’re down the mountain and in the village below, he doesn’t notice that Dimitri has stopped.. Instead, he walks straight into Dimitri, swearing loudly and scowling.

Ahead of them, two girls are standing with a large white horse. One had pale blue hair and is on its back, trying to calm the horse, who has spooked at their sudden appearance and doesn’t seem to be taking it well.

“Oh, Dorte!” The girl with the pale blue hair grabs at the horse’s reins, soothing him.

“Marianne, hush!” The other girl frowns at Felix, stepping protectively in front of the other girl. “What are you doing here, anyways? You don’t look like you’re from around here.”

“I apologize,” Dimitri says. “We’re just passing through. We’re looking to find the Sugar Plum Prince, if you must know.”

“The Sugar Plum Prince?” The girl on the horse - Marianne - has a soft voice, almost inaudible. “Why are you looking for him?”

Dimitri meets Felix’s eyes. There’s something strained in his expression, something that keeps Felix from being entirely truthful. “I’ve been cursed,” Felix says. “I was told that the Sugar Plum Prince was the only one who could fix it.”

The shorter girl narrows her eyes, twirling the end of one of her long pink ponytails absentmindedly. “Cursed, huh?”

“Hilda,” Marianne says, gentle like a summer breeze, “don’t be rude.”

“Oh hush,” Hilda says. “I’ll be as rude as I want.” She smiles at the other girl though, and Marianne blushes quietly from atop Dorte’s back. “Anywho,” Hilda turns back to face them. “The Sugar Plum Prince hasn’t left his castle since the Mouse Queen took over. Everyone knows that.”

“Well, I didn’t,” Felix snaps. Dimitri shifts at his side, obviously not pleased with the way things are going. “When did the Mouse Queen take over anyways?”

Hilda purses her lips. “You really aren’t from around here, huh? Exactly what kind of curse is this anyways?” She lets out an over-exaggerated sigh, her chest heaving. “Queen Cornelia took over when the King died. The Prince wasn’t of age, and it was only supposed to be temporary.” She rolls her eyes. “That was four years ago. Some prince.”

“What, he just let her keep the Kingdom?” Felix can’t keep the incredulity and disdain from creeping into his voice.

“No, he was definitely killed or something.” Hilda sighs again, popping out a hip. She’s wearing thigh-high black boots, and they stand in stark contrast to the snowy landscape surrounding them. Felix almost envies her. They look warm. “She definitely had him dealt with. I don’t think anyone would be able to look at what she’s done to the world and let it slide.”

“That’s a shame,” Dimitri’s voice sounds strange, like someone is pressing down on his windpipe. “But the Sugar Plum Prince?”

“Oh, right.” Hilda rests a hand on the white stallion’s neck. “The Sugar Plum Prince lives on an island in the middle of the Peppermint Lake. You have to take a boat to get there, I think.”

Felix looks to Dimitri, who’s been exceptionally quiet throughout this whole conversation. “Do you know where the Peppermint Lake is?”

Dimitri starts. “Yes, of course.”

“Great,” Felix replies tersely. He turns to Marianne and HIilda. “We’ll be going.”

Hilda rolls her eyes again. “You’re _welcome!”_

Felix stalks off, Dimitri fumbling to keep up. “They were very helpful,” he chides. “You could have been a bit nicer, Felix.”

“They could have been a bit more helpful,” Felix retorts. “I don’t see what the problem is.”

Dimitri sighs. “The Grandfather Clock was right. You do get angry about everything.”

Felix’s burst of rage is sudden and all-consuming, and he struggles to speak around the hold it has on his chest. “It’s your fault I’m in this mess anyways!”

Dimitri stops. Felix turns, just in time to see all emotion leave his face, leaving his gaze vacant and unpurposeful. “Ah. So you guessed.”

Felix crosses his arms, his face flushing as his rage gives way to shame. “There wasn’t much to guess. The Mouse Queen attacked you, and you got quiet when Hilda brought up the Prince.”

“Yes, I suppose I did.” Snow starts to fall, the flakes small and lazy. A few stick in Dimitri’s hair, and it sours Felix’s mood further. “I am sorry, for causing you such sorrow.”

A muscle in Felix’s jaw jumps. “It’s not sorrow. Being here. With you. It’s a more productive use of my Christmas Eve, at least.”

Dimitri’s eye closes, and he smiles. When his eye snaps back open, there are no traces of the cold numbness that was there only a moment ago. “I suppose I’ll thank you then. I’m pleased I am not doing this alone.”

Felix cuts his eyes away from the snow dusting Dimitri’s shoulders. “Let’s just get on with it.” He keeps walking, gratified when Dimitri takes large steps to catch back up with him, the freshly fallen snow crunching underneath his feet.

They continue on in a relative silence through the snow-covered terrain. It’s comfortable, and despite the fact that Felix has only known Dimitri for a brief period of time, he’s struck by how familiar it feels. The world around them is crisp and white, and Felix’s borrowed cape leaves a shallow furrow in the snow behind them. Dimitri is a good companion, and Felix finds himself relaxing in his presence.

Dimitri’s voice, when he does speak, startles Felix, and he skitters to the side like a frightened cat.

“There’s smoke up ahead,” he says, oblivious. “Perhaps we could stop there for a rest.”

“They could be soldiers of the Mouse Queen,” Felix says, his hands itching for a weapon.

Dimitri gestures with his lance, the curved top of it glowing slightly. “We’ll be fine. And if not, we’ll retreat.”

It’s a bad idea, but Dimitri seems sure of himself, and this is his world, not Felix’s. He sighs. “Very well.”

Dimitri beams, warm enough to melt the whole snowy landscape around them, and then moves forward. Felix trails behind him uncertainly, following a half-step behind until they reach the source of the campfire.

It’s smaller than it had seemed from a distance, and instead of a battalion of soldiers sent to hunt them down, there are only two. One is tall, with a shock of red hair. The other is shorter, and has a short blonde bob. They’re both wearing silver armor with some sort of insignia on it, although the meaning of it escapes Felix.

“Halt!” The girl cries when she sees them, drawing a lance and pointing it at Felix’s torso. “State your business.”

“Humble travellers,” Dimitri says. “We’re heading to the Peppermint Lake.”

“Really?” The blonde girl lowers her lance slightly. “What’s your business there?”

“Our business is our own,” Felix snaps. “We were seeing if you had any extra supplies, but we can be on our way.”

“Let’s all just settle down,” the redhead says. “I’m Sylvain, and this is Ingrid. We’ve been through a lot, so we’re a little on edge. Nothing personal.”

“Hmph,” Felix says. Ingrid’s expression is one of pure disdain, but she lowers her lance when Sylvain reaches out and pushes it down. “Felix,” he says at last. “This is Dimitri.”

“Dimitri, huh?” Sylvain smiles. “We’re headed to the Peppermint Lake ourselves. You’re welcome to travel with us.”

“Sylvain,” Ingrid hisses. “They could be spies. Don’t tell them everything.”

“We’re not spies,” Felix says. He scowls at Ingrid, and she makes the same face back at him. Somehow, that endears her to Felix. “We’re trying to break a curse.”

“A curse, huh?” Sylvain tilts his head to the side slightly, brown eyes searching Felix’s. “What sort of curse?”

Felix lets a smirk make its way onto his face. “The kind that changes kingdoms.”

A slow smile spreads across Sylvain’s face. “Is that so? Well then, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t travel together.”

Dimitri sighs. “I suppose there is no harm in it.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Sylvain says smoothly.

Dimitri flinches, almost imperceptibly at the title. Sylvain raises an eyebrow, and Dimitri smooths down the front of his uniform. “I suppose there is little point in trying to hide it.”

Sylvain winks. Felix steadfastly ignores the flare of annoyance it produces in him. “Can we get going already?” He snaps.

“That would be ideal,” Ingrid says. “Do you have weapons?”

Dimitri brandishes his lance, but Felix shakes his head. “No. I’m trained with most weapons, but I prefer swords.”

“You’re in luck!” Ingrid says cheerily. “We have an extra in our supplies.” She hands Felix the steel blade, and immediately Felix feels more at ease.

He buckles on the sword belt and slides it into the sheath, resting a hand on the hilt. He fusses with it for a moment, making sure it’s secure and in no danger of slipping. “Alright. I’m ready,” he announces.

The four of them set out, Felix’s heart feeling lighter than it ever has on any other Christmas Eve.

-

They’re almost to the Peppermint Lake when they start hearing noise in the distance. It’s a faint sound at first, but it quickly grows louder, and as it does so the following fact grows more and more undeniable: there’s something heading towards them. Something big.

The ground under their feet shakes and snow falls from the trees around them, the world moving in time with the footsteps of whatever monster is gaining on them. Ingrid halts, looking over her shoulder with a worried look on her face. “We need to hurry. It looks like Queen Cornelia sent us some company.”

Felix bites the inside of his cheek. “How much further to the docks?”

Sylvain’s face is troubled. “Too far.”

A growl falls from Dimitri’s lips. “If Felix and I hold it off, can you two get ahead and prepare a boat?”

“Your Highness,” Ingrid says firmly. “That seems foolish.”

“I have no heart,” Dimitri says. “The only way it can kill me is if it tears every inch of me apart.” He holds his lance a little higher. “I don’t see that happening.”

He’s a king. Even if this was the first moment Felix had ever heard Dimitri speak, he would know that he was a king. There’s something about the cadence of his voice, the set of his jaw, that makes Felix want to kneel before him.

“I’m quick,” Felix says. “And I don’t know a thing about boats. It makes more sense if you two go ahead.”

Sylvain grimaces. “This is a terrible plan. I hate it.”

“There is not much else we can do,” Ingrid replies.

“Go,” Dimitri says firmly. “We can argue about this later.”

Sylvain makes a frustrated, pent up noise, and then takes off, Ingrid close behind. Dimitri sighs and turns towards that which is coming to kill them, his shoulders a firm, unyielding line. “Are you prepared?” He asks.

Felix draws his sword. “Of course.” Already, he feels more alive, the prospect of a fight singing through his veins like a drug. It’s potent and addictive, and he flashes a smile at Dimitri that the prince returns. Dimitri understands. Felix knows that he does, that this battlesong means something similar to him as well.

When the creature emerges, Felix doesn’t retreat, just tightens his grip on his sword. It’s tall and imposing, and formed of jagged snow and ice. It has long, icicle-like teeth and eyes with no life in them. It looks like frostbite, or like drowning in an icy river. Felix shudders, even though Dimitri’s cape keeps him plenty warm.

The frost giant cackles. It sounds like a gust of wind through a terrible cavern, or the sound of a million ice floes breaking. “Cursed prince!” It cries, bringing a giant, fearsome fist up into the air.

Dimitri lets out a sound like a howl and rushes forward. Felix, not wanting to be upstood, follows suit, keeping low to the ground and stabbing his sword into the giant’s leg. It lets out a cry of pain, and Dimitri takes the moment of distraction to throw his lance, hitting it square in the chest.

The giant falls with a tremendous thud that shakes the ground around them, and Dimitri climbs atop its corpse and yanks his lance free. Felix waits for him back on the ground, watching as the king-to-be makes his way over to him.

“That was excellent form,” he praises. “We fight well together.”

Something like a smile crosses Felix’s face. “Yes, I suppose we do.” If there was more time, Felix would ask to spar, to really see how Dimitri fights. But Dimitri has a kingdom to save, and Felix needs to get home before his father has a heart attack about the whole affair.

Instead, Felix lets himself ask a different question. “What did the frost giant mean?” Felix asks, still holding his sword, ready for another fight. “He said you were cursed.”

Dimitri sighs sadly, looking down at the lance in his hands. “My father died at a very inopportune time. You know this already. The Mouse Queen assumed control after his death, and then never gave it up. I, meanwhile...” he gestures fruitlessly to himself. “Well, she turned me into this… mockery of a man.”

Felix sheaths his sword and then contemplates Dimitri for a minute, his gaze lingering on his face. “You look fine to me,” Felix says, immediately regretting the words. Dimitri is a man, nothing more. He looks like one. That is all.

Dimitri shakes his head. “I’m not truly alive. I can die, yes, but this is not living.” He takes Felix’s hand, placing it delicately on his chest. Felix tenses, about to pull away, but Dimitri holds fast to him. “There’s no heart inside my chest. I’m hollow.”

“You’re not hollow,” Felix protests automatically. Dimitri certainly feels real, now that he’s touching him, but there is, indeed, no heartbeat. Felix’s face warms and he averts his eyes, pulling his hand away as though touching him any longer will leave a brand.

“Kind words,” Dimitri murmurs, “but I am barely better off than a puppet. What sort of prince am I in this state?”

Felix scowls, keeping a firm grip on his sword as he levels a glare at Dimitri. “Puppet or not, surely you would do better than a fiend like her.”

The hint of a smile crosses Dimitri’s face. “You didn’t know me before yesterday.”

“Don’t be a fool,” Felix snaps. “I’ve known you all my life.” 

He doesn’t know how else to explain the strang familiarity he feels around Dimitri, the way that it pulses through him. When they fight side by side, it’s as though it’s the only right thing in the whole world. He doesn’t want it to end. The words the girl on the grandfather clock said weigh heavy around on Felix’s mind, a stark reminder that this is only temporary. Staying here with Dimitri is a fruitless dream, nothing more.

Dimitri meets his eyes, a lightness to his gaze that Felix has not seen since this whole wretched endeavor began. He averts his eyes. “We need to keep going,” he says. “The Sugar Plum Prince’s island isn’t far now.”

Dimitri’s faint smile dims. “Of course. Then we can both go back to normal.”

Felix nods decisively. “Exactly.” He slides his sword back into his scabbard and follows Dimitri back to where Ingrid and Sylvain are waiting, leaving the body of the slain frost giant behind them.

-

The boat ride to Sugar Plum Island is tedious. The lake is large, and even though before long they can see the island in the distance, it still takes an eternity to get there. Finally, though, they pull up to a little dock, and Sylvain and Ingrid tie the boat up.

Dimitri steps onto the dock smoothly, and Felix follows without as much grace. He’s not used to the sway of the boat underneath him, and he stumbles, badly, as he exits the rowboat. He tenses, expecting the sharp impact of the dock, but instead he’s halted, strong hands coming to encircle his torso and catch him.

The prince is blushing faintly as he helps Felix back to his feet. Felix averts his eyes, although he doesn’t miss the knowing smile on Sylvain’s face. “Thanks,” Felix grits out.

Dimitri smiles, and brushes a non-existent piece of dirt off the collar of his cape, which Felix is still wearing. It’s no less cumbersome, but he can’t imagine taking it off now, after everything.

“You should stay back here,” Dimitri says to Ingrid and Sylvain, suddenly redirecting his attention. “If this goes poorly and we need to make a hasty retreat, or if… things should go catastrophically wrong, you must live to fight another day.”

Sylvain is already half out of the boat, but he steps back into it with a frown. “Your Highness, you shouldn’t go alone.”

Dimitri shakes his head. “My own fate does not matter. If I fail, the fight against Queen Cornelia must continue. Promise me.”

“Your Highness,” Ingrid begins.

Dimitri draws himself up to his full height. “That’s an order.”

Sylvain sighs. “If we hear anything at all, we’re coming to help.”

Dimitri’s mouth twists. “I suppose that will have to do.”

Ingrid nods decisively, and Dimitri turns, raising an eyebrow at Felix questioningly. Felix purses his lips, but follows Dimitri as he heads up the cobblestone path that leads to the Palace. It’s winding and well-manicured, with neat banks of snow piled up on either side.

Felix gestures at one of them, Dimitri’s cloak dragging in the dirt behind him. “Someone must be home.”

Dimitri nods. “Or it’s enchanted.”

“Wouldn’t someone have to be home to enchant it?”

A small smile graces Dimitri’s face. Felix ignores the light feeling in his chest that it sparks and keeps his gaze steadfastly pinned on the building in front of them. They don’t speak until they arrive at the tall, wrought iron gate. It’s intricately designed, with curving vines and snowflakes set into the metal.

“It’s foolish,” Dimitri says, once they stop in front of the gate, “but now that we’ve come so far, I find I do not wish for you to leave.”

Felix feels the same. He has no desire to return to his boring life with his father and Glenn, even if he would surely miss them both. “Do you want to stay like this forever?”

Dimitri sighs, touching a hand to his heart. “It does not matter what I wish. I have a duty to my people.”

Idiot man. At least he’ll be a good king. Still, Felix purses his lips and looks away, not wanting to confront the look in Dimitri’s eyes. “You would tire of me. I’m not meant for this world.”

“Oh, Felix.” Dimitri sounds so sad all of a sudden. Felix wishes he could take his words back, if only to spare Dimitri the sorrow he’d apparently caused. “I do not think I could tire of you, even if we were together for all the hours that will ever exist.”

Felix’s face flushes. “Don’t say such things. Let’s just get this over with.”

He strides forward, aware of the way Dimitri’s gaze lingers on his back as he walks up to the gate. He knocks once, twice on the metal bars, and after a long pause, the gates swing open with a slow screech. Dimitri comes to stand next to him, a troubled expression on his face. “This could be a trap.”

“What other choice do we have?” Felix replies.

Dimitri sighs. “None, I suppose.” His fingers twitch like he’s going to reach for Felix. When he doesn’t, Felix’s mouth tastes bitter, almost like ash, for reasons he doesn’t understand.

They step through the gates and continue into the palace grounds, making their way under the main gate and into the courtyard. It’s quiet, almost eerily so.

Felix draws his sword. “We shouldn’t have come here.”

“No,” a voice says, high and feminine. “You shouldn’t have.”

The portcullis slams shut behind them, and from the shadows steps the Mouse Queen, her pale gold crown perched delicately atop her head. Her eyes shine red and villainous, and at her side are four soldiers. They look almost like the nutcracker, except they have none of Dimitri’s handsomeness. They’re husks, moving synchronously with each other.

The queen smiles, sharp teeth glinting dangerously in the light. “Do you like my toys? I had fun with the king’s best generals.”

“You’re a monster.” Dimitri barely sounds human himself.

She cackles. “Such a silly claim from a prince made of wood! Still, if it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get!”

The soldiers start to march forward as one, as though they’re puppets being controlled by some sinister master. “I’ll take the soldiers,” Felix says. “You handle the queen.”

Dimitri nods, then rolls his shoulders and steps forward. Felix moves when he does, dashing into range of the toy soldiers and striking at one with his sword. It’s a harder fight than he’d thought it would be, and his attention is pulled away from Dimitri, instead taken up by defeating Cornelia’s crones.

He strikes the last one down just as he hears a near inhuman cry of pain. He whirls towards the noie, only to see Cornelia, standing above Dimitri, who is still and unmoving on the ground. “Dimitri!” The word feels as though it’s been torn from Felix’s throat, and he rushes across the courtyard without sparing a moment to think of anything else.

He’s dying. Felix has never seen a man die this closely, for all his swordplay and training. This is what he’s been working towards: watching the life drain out of someone, vivid red blood seeping into the stark white snow.

It’s different, when it’s someone he knows. He’s never imagined it being someone he knew before. 

The Mouse Queen, still a threat, laughs, haughty and threatening. “Foolish boy! Did you really think you could save each other? He’s either a puppet or a dead man. There aren’t any options in this story.”

Dimitri isn’t going to die. Not if Felix can help it. Before he can do anything, though, he has to deal with the Mouse Queen. He pulls himself to his feet, scowling. Sorrow weighs down his every limb, but he won’t let it slow him.

“You’re going to die for this,” he snarls, rising from his spot at Dimitri’s side and drawing his sword.

Queen Cornelia, who slayed one king and stole the throne out from underneath another one, laughs, haughty and impervious to his words. “You’re a child! A mockery of a boy! You could not possibly hope to understand such complex matters as these.” A purple miasma swirls around her, and she stands up on her hind legs, pointing a paw at Felix.

He races towards her, just barely managing to avoid a bolt of her magic. She laughs again, and Felix’s rage bubbles up inside of him, so hot that it threatens to burst.

He’s faster than Dimitri, and she’s been preparing to fight him all these long months, not Felix. His blade flashes hummingbird quick through the air, and he throws himself at the Mouse Queen with all he’s got.

-

After, when the queen is dead and the dust has settled, Felix returns to Dimitri’s side. He’s still breathing, although it’s shallow and barely there. If not for the fact that there was no heart inside of him, Felix would have no idea that he wasn’t really alive.

“You can’t die,” Felix says, bile rising in his throat as he sinks to his knees. He brushes Dimitri’s hair out of his face, the prince’s eye flitting over to him.

“Is… is she dead?” His voice is strained, and Felix’s chest tightens at the obvious difficulty he has in forcing the words out.

He gives in and rests a hand against Dimitri’s cheek. “She’s dead. The Kingdom is safe.”

Dimitri’s eye slips closed, “I see. That is good to hear. Thank you Felix.” He takes a shaky breath, gasping for air. Felix shakes his head, his brow furrowed in sorrow. “Even if we did not find the Sugar Plum Prince, it is good to know she has been defeated.”

That’s right; the Sugar Plum Prince. In all the excitement, Felix had forgotten. “Where is he?” He snaps, desperation creeping into his face. “Why has he not showed?”

“We were too late…” Dimitri murmurs sorrowfully. “The Mouse Queen must have defeated him already.”

“No,” Felix says vehemently. “No. That can’t be how it ends.”

But it seems as though it’s the only way it can end. There is no one else around them, Sylvain and Ingrid having ridden off at his bidding to get more troops. It’s only him and Dimitri, and help will take some time to arrive.

“It’s alright,” Dimitri reassures him. His eye opens, meeting Felix’s line of sight.

For once, Felix doesn’t look away. He swallows, his heart thudding loudly in his ears. “Shut up,” he says instead, and then bends down and kisses Dimitri.

It’s not an exceptional kiss. Felix is aware of the fact even as it’s happening. Dimitri’s hands move up to hold him too slowly, as though he is not sure what he’s supposed to be doing with them. The angle of their faces is all wrong, and Felix’s nose is smooshed to the side in a manner that’s both unbecoming and uncomfortable.

Still, when they separate, there’s a faint tingling in Felix’s hands. He writes it off as nerves, or excitement, or a real, literal spark between the two of them, but then Dimitri makes a strangled noise. He should be dying, but instead there’s a faint sheen of blue light emanating from his chest.

Felix sits back on his heels and watches as the light grows, surrounding both of them in a pale blue glow. “What’s going on?” Felix asks, a note of alarm creeping into his voice. His right hand twitches towards his sword, discarded in the snow at his side, although he keeps his left hand firmly planted on Dimitri’s arm. Now that he’s found him, he’s not planning on letting go.

Dimitri looks up at him, his eye wide in amazement. “Felix,” he whispers, almost reverently, as the blue light completely encompasses them.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanishes, leaving the two of them almost as they were. Except - there’s a flush to Dimitri’s face that wasn’t there before, and the terrible wound in his side is gone, as is the tear in his clothes.

Felix reaches out a hand to touch Dimitri’s face, only to find himself glad in pale blue gloves. “Felix,” Dimitri says again, sitting up and pressing their foreheads together. “You’re beautiful.”

“You can’t just say things like that,” Felix snaps, even as he leans into Dimitri’s touch.

Dimitri laughs, the sound hearty and full of life. “I only speak the truth.” 

He pulls back from Felix and stands. From Felix’s spot on the ground, he’s silhouetted against the pale sky, almost as if he’s glowing. Felix’s breath catches in his throat, and he swallows. Dimitri extends a hand, and Felix takes it, letting him pull him to his feet. Now that he’s standing, he takes full stock of his outfit, letting a hand drift to his neck and the heavy blue cape that is clasped there. He’s wearing livery that matches Dimitri’s, although the blue is lighter, and the embroidery on his jacket is in grey, not black.

“You’re the Prince,” Dimitri says, voice full of wonder. “It was you, all along.”

Felix scowls, reaching up a hand to tug at his hair and instead finding it loose and long around his shoulders, a crown perched delicately atop of his head. “I am not a prince.”

Dimitri laughs again, a sound that Felix is quickly growing far too attached to. “No? Then explain this.” He brings their joined hands up to his chest, just as he had yesterday. Felix still blushes at the touch, but instead of finding Dimitri’s chest hollow, he’s instead greeted by the heavy thump of a heartbeat.

Felix jerks his head up to look at Dimitri’s face. “I- you’re… alive.”

Dimitri smiles, soft and (seemingly) just for Felix. “All thanks to you.” Felix’s flush deepens, and Dimitri bites softly at his bottom lip. “You - kissed me, a moment ago. It saved me, but now that it’s not necessary, I wonder if I may kiss you? I would very much like to.”

Felix rolls his eyes. “Shut up.” Instead of answering Dimitri, he grabs a handful of his shirt and hauls him in for another kiss, hopefully the first of many.

-

Felix wakes with a start, casting his gaze about the room wildly. It’s Christmas morning, and there is no nutcracker, no Dimitri. “Hello?” he calls, voice uncharacteristically emotional.

Glenn pokes his head in through the doorway. “Oh good, you’re finally awake! I thought you were going to sleep through all of Christmas!”

“Where’s the nutcracker?” Felix asks, sitting up.

Glenn frowns. “Did you lose him already?”

“No, he was right here!” There’s a lump forming in Felix’s throat that he recognizes all too well from his childhood years as a crybaby. “I didn’t lose him!”

“Gee, calm down. I thought you didn’t even want that silly old thing.” Glenn comes into the pristine living room, setting a hand on Felix’s shoulder as he does so. “I’ll help you look.”

Their search doesn’t last for long though before there’s a knock at the door. “Lonato went home last night,” Glenn explains in response to Felix’s questioning look. “He said he had some unexpected business to attend to.”

“On Christmas Eve?” Felix responds, trying desperately to set aside the yawning sadness within him at the prospect of it all having been a dream. He can still feel Dimitri’s hand in his, can almost taste his mouth if he tries hard enough. It couldn’t have been a dream.

Glenn shrugs. “Come on, let’s go say hi. I’ll help you look more after.”

Felix pulls his arm out from under the couch and follows Glenn, albeit with reluctance. At the door is Uncle Lonato, but there’s another figure standing behind him. He has one clear blue eye and an eyepatch covering the other, and a dark blue coat with fur lining the collar.

“It’s you,” Felix says.

Dimitri smiles. “I’m sorry, have we met before?”

Felix laughs. At his side, Glenn starts, looks at him like he’s sprouted another head. “Dimitri, was it?”

Dimitri bows, overly formal even here. “Felix, if I’m not mistaken.”

Felix snorts at the ceremony Dimitri ascribes even now. But then again, what else can he expect from a prince? “We’re going for a walk,” he says to Glenn, ignoring Lonato’s amused smile as he exits the house.

“You’ll have to take charge,” Dimitri says. “I’m afraid I’ve never been here before, except for a very brief visit.”

Felix rolls his eyes, but as the door to the estate closes behind them, he lets Dimitri take his hand, leading him down the snow lined driveway and out onto the winding road below.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me on twitter @edelgardlesbian and yell about fe3h with me!


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